Salmon, corn and potato chowder

Does this ever happen to you? You assemble all of the ingredients for a particular recipe on your countertop, but somehow, you end up cooking something completely different? I won't tell you what I was planning to do with this salmon and corn, except to say it was, well, the opposite of soup, but the day demanded a chowder, and it couldn't have turned out better.

Spontaneous changes in the menu require creative use of whatever is in the pantry, or, as in this case, what's not in the pantry. I had no chicken or fish stock in the freezer or on the cupboard shelves, so I used the universal substitute -- water -- and added a bit of half-and-half. To keep the chowder gluten-free, I thickened it by pureeing a portion of the vegetables with an immersion blender. A piece of crusty bread mopped up the bottom of the bowl. 

Salmon, corn and potato chowder {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: onion, olive oil, butter, half-and-half, kosher salt, fresh black pepper, thyme, parsley.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
8 oz fresh corn kernels (can use frozen)
8 oz red-skinned new potatoes, diced
1 tsp dried thyme leaf
2 cups water
3/4 lb salmon filet, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 oz half-and-half
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Directions

In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy stock pot, heat the butter and oil over low-medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 2 minutes, until translucent.

Stir in the corn, potatoes and thyme. Be sure that all of the vegetables mingle with the onions. Cook for 2 minutes, then add 2 cups of water. Raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Remove the pot from heat. With an immersion blender, pureé part of the soup to thicken it, leaving most of the vegetables whole. Return the pot to low heat. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. (You will need a full teaspoon of salt, because the base of the soup is water.)

Stir in the salmon, which will cook quickly in the hot soup. When the salmon is cooked through (2-3 minutes on low heat), pour in the half-and-half, and add the parsley. Let the soup come back to heat, but do not boil. Taste, and adjust seasoning with more pepper, if needed.

Serve hot.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chowders:
Rhode Island clear clam chowder, from The Perfect Pantry
Atlantic Canada seafood chowder, from The Perfect Pantry
Late summer corn and lobster French onion chowder, from Half Baked Harvest
Chipotle chicken and corn chowder, from Brown Eyed Baker

Salmon, corn and potato chowder {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: onion, olive oil, butter, half-and-half, kosher salt, fresh black pepper, thyme, parsley.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
8 oz fresh corn kernels (can use frozen)
8 oz red-skinned new potatoes, diced
1 tsp dried thyme leaf
2 cups water
3/4 lb salmon filet, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 oz half-and-half
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Directions

In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy stock pot, heat the butter and oil over low-medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 2 minutes, until translucent.

Stir in the corn, potatoes and thyme. Be sure that all of the vegetables mingle with the onions. Cook for 2 minutes, then add 2 cups of water. Raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Remove the pot from heat. With an immersion blender, pureé part of the soup to thicken it, leaving most of the vegetables whole. Return the pot to low heat. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. (You will need a full teaspoon of salt, because the base of the soup is water.)

Stir in the salmon, which will cook quickly in the hot soup. When the salmon is cooked through (2-3 minutes on low heat), pour in the half-and-half, and add the parsley. Let the soup come back to heat, but do not boil. Taste, and adjust seasoning with more pepper, if needed.

Serve hot.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chowders:
Rhode Island clear clam chowder, from The Perfect Pantry
Atlantic Canada seafood chowder, from The Perfect Pantry
Late summer corn and lobster French onion chowder, from Half Baked Harvest
Chipotle chicken and corn chowder, from Brown Eyed Baker

Comments

It sounds like an experiment that turned out beautifully!

This is exactly my type of recipe. Will make it soon... when the weather cools a bit. :)

I've been thinking about chowder, it was a childhood summer meal with quahogs or fish or just corn. Since I don't eat dairy I'm inspired by your post to try my own improv - making chowder with plain soy or almond milk.

Kalyn, nothing beats a good chowder!

Janice, I can't explain the craving for chowder in hot weather. It happens every now and then!

Mary, you can try it without any milk at all, which would make it a kind of hybrid Rhode Island clear chowder.